Antimicrobial activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus against foodborne pathogens

Authors

  • Valéria Garcia Pereira Universidade Estadual de Londrina
  • Raul Jorge Hernan Castro Gómez Universidade Estadual de Londrina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2007v28n2p229

Keywords:

Antimicrobial activity, Lactobacillus acidophilus, lactic acid, probiotic culture

Abstract

The antimicrobial activity of a commercial probiotic culture, Lactobacillus acidophilus (La5), was tested against two foodborne pathogens, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The antagonistic effect of the probiotic culture in vitro was performed by applying both Multilayer Agar Plate and Agar Well Diffusion methods. The results indicated that the inhibitory substance present on 72 hours culture broth supernatant was extracellular and diffusible. The incubation period of the lactic acid bacteria on MRS Broth, at 37ºC in aerobic conditions, for the highest lactic acid production (1,08 g/%) was 72 hours, which gave a minimum pH value of the supernatant (3,90) and the best inhibition results by the Well Diffusion Agar Assay, showing inhibition zone diameters of 14,75mm and 15,0mm for E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. The inhibitor compound was not sensitive to proteolytic enzyme and freezing, but was totally inactivated when the supernatant was neutralized with NaOH 1 N solution. The results suggest that the inhibitory activity was due to the lactic acid concentration and the low pH of the probiotic culture broth.

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Author Biographies

Valéria Garcia Pereira, Universidade Estadual de Londrina

Médica Veterinária formada pela Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) – Botucatu, Mestre em Vigilância Sanitária pela mesma Universidade, Doutora em Ciência de Alimentos pela Universidade Estadual de Londrina.

Raul Jorge Hernan Castro Gómez, Universidade Estadual de Londrina

 

Docente do Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos e Medicamentos da Universidade Estadual de Londrina.

Published

2007-10-30

How to Cite

Pereira, V. G., & Gómez, R. J. H. C. (2007). Antimicrobial activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus against foodborne pathogens. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, 28(2), 229–240. https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2007v28n2p229

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